Surviving the Tinsel

As the holidays approach, they can be difficult, to say the least. Christmas doesn't feel the same after the death of a close loved one. Tips on how to get through the holidays are available in my article, Surviving the Tinsel. Using the link to the right of this post, click to the article. Tell me what you think! I hope it helps.

Evening Peace

Book number two is completed! I am ready to send it to
my editor at Bethany House Publishers and see what she
thinks.

Evening Peace is set in Bryson City, NC, so dismiss the
earlier posts about Beaufort. Perhaps the third
or fourth book will be the one set in Beaufort.

Meanwhile, I am continuing with freelance projects and
waiting to see what is around the corner.

And if you are ever wondering what to do--
please visit Writing the Heartache, my website
on writing through grief.

A Dozen Extra Years

I goofed. I found out today--a beautiful autumn day in
Durham, NC, by the way--that I accredited a comment from
one person to the wrong person.

This is not the way to go about winning friends and
influencing people to buy my novel. No, my novel
hasn't been published yet. Some days I wonder if it
will be published after my death.
Yes, my kind editor knows how slow I think the process
is going. I know it's all about teaching me patience,
patience, patience.

But, I digress.

I was at the Southwest Elementary School Fall Festival
earlier today and Julie was there. She told me she
enjoyed my blog.

Then Julie asked, "Is this a joke I don't know about?"

"A joke?" I said as kids around me dunked teachers in
the dunking booth and slid down the large inflatable
slide.

"Yes, I'm the one who posted the comment
about the Lock Out and last time I checked...."

"You don't live in Wales," I said with a smile. "You
live in Durham." I told her I'd change that
comment to read Julie in Durham.

So here I am changing it. Actually, I'm writing about
three hundred words to explain the situation. And hoping that
I won't confuse people. I do need friends and fans and mistaking
one person's message for another and then writing about it, is
not the way to grow my readership.

But the good news is that both Julie in Wales and Julie in
the USA are forgiving types. They're moms; they've
learned how to do this task well. If I toss a little
flattery both of their ways (did I mention what good
moms they are?), they can't help but stick with me.

Which brings me to the realization that a large part of
life is fixing the mistakes. If we never made any, how
much time would we have?

I'm guessing I'd have about a dozen extra years.

Are people actually reading this?

Aside from my friend Julie, in Wales, and my cousin Leif in Montana, I don't know if anyone ever reads my postings here. However, when Julie said she wanted to hear about my "lock-out" from my house, and my cousin faithfully reminds me that my last post was a month ago, I guess I should keep up a little better.

My second novel has reached that finished first draft stage, which is a major accomplishment in my opinion. Now I get to do the fun work of editing. Actually, the hard part for me is over. I don't mind it when it gets to this nice workable structure where the skeletal form is in clear view; I just have to pad with flesh to create the final product. (My kids, by the way, are tired of that flesh on bones analogy, but is there a better way to explain the process?)

I continue with freelance projects, along with my second novel, and wait to see what is next in store.

School is back in session and the writing is good

I enjoyed the summer with my kids, but like most parents, I'm glad they're back in the halls of learning. Now I can have a schedule that suits me. And yes, it includes writing during the day, that is when I haven't locked myself out of my house, and have to creatively break in (long story, but with a happy ending).

My second novel has just begun. My editor suggested I wait on the one I was writing earlier this year, set in Beaufort. This newest one (due out in 2009) takes place in Bryson City, right at the lovely North Carolina Smoky Mountains. It'll take some time to get into this new novel; the characters are right now all hiding behind masquerade masks. It'll be awhile before I get to know them enough to really like them. Or dislike them.

I was thinking today as I sat in my new computer chair that actually is comfortable, what fun it is to be a novelist! There is nothing I'd rather do than create in this way. While I'm grateful for the freelancing work I had this summer and continue to have, I prefer dialoge, scenes, and themes surrounding a novel that hopefully, is both thought-provoking and entertaining.

Summer and the Saxophone

Although it is still officially summer,
and most kids are on vacation from school,
my son Benjamin opted for year round middle
school at Rogers-Herr in Durham, NC. This
means that when July 16 arrived, his
alarm went off at 6:30 AM. That's
awfully early when you've developed a
writing schedule of staying up till
midnight. I have done this, of course.
We all were up late and slept in late,
as well. It was a good life.

Actually, if I can go to bed soon after
he does, even though my daughters are
still on vacation schedule and watching
TV, I can wake up when he does, take
him to school, come home, and get some
writing done before the house awakens.
I just can't, at the expression goes,
burn the candle at both ends. I'm,
believe it or not, a little
too old for that. When I write
early in the morning, I feel like a
real writer. In all the interviews
with the famous ones, don't they
usually say they spend about four
hours writing in the morning?

Benjamin is in band and learning to play
the saxophone which is another change
to our summer. The saxophone is a
beautiful woodwind instrument and is
adding a rich sound to my writing.
Benjamin practices after school while
I write. He is dedicated to his sax
and I'm thrilled. My musical ability
is ziltch. Who said we live through
our children?

Speaking of children, my cousin in
Montana has three. I'm not sure if
his kids play any instruments;
somehow I bet they do because my
cousin is talented, and as they say,
the apple doesn't fall far from the
tree. My cousin is also quite gifted
in the area of cleverness. Three times
this summer he has commented that he
wants me to write about him on this
blog. He keeps reminding me that I
haven't updated it with anything of
value--i.e., anything about him.
Now, at last, he won't be able to
harrass me anymore. His cleverness
has paid off. Here's to you cousin!

Happy summer, and here's also to my
newest favorite instrument, the
saxophone!

I Quit and Started.....

Well... to all those who use the
cliche, "Don't quit your day job,"
guess what?

Of course there were dozens of
reasons why I quit a secure
job--uh, there is one of them.
The job was no longer secure.
Financial woes, and I was asked
to cut back on my weekly hours.
Uh-oh! That meant no more
benefits.

Okay, so enough on that. I quit.
I took a risk, stepped out of the
boat during the storm, and knew
I could do it ONLY if I could
trust God's hand.

What would I do for money?
I hadn't won the lottery...yet.

Today marks Week Two of living
the freelancer's life. Having
novel advance money, plus a little
more in savings, helps. I wouldn't
recommend this quitting the day
job unless you have a little
something to live off of until
you get your next break. The
freelancing world, like everything
else, holds no guarantees.

But the bottom line is-- I am
excited about living this life.
Can I say that I have dreamed
of living the writing life
full-time? Yes, I can say just
that because I have.

True, I miss my co-workers, but
the flexibility of working from
home and having time to spend
with my three summer-vacationing
children is...you got it, priceless!

So, for now, this point in time,
this is what I'm doing.

Life is always subject to change
so I am ruling out nothing. Just
enjoying this part of the journey.